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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 06:08 PM
  #1
I hope this question makes sense. Do you have someone in your life that you trust enough to tell about your Bipolar Disorder? I don't have a good relationship with my family so I would never tell them. I have a good friend that I thought about telling so I can explain to her about my mood differences.
Also do you have anyone in your life you can trust to let you know whether they are noticing your mood changes into either manic/hypomanic or depression so they can support you? I was told it's the people in your life that notice the differences in yourself before we do.
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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 06:22 PM
  #2
My family would proabbly only notice something was wrong with me if I started vomiting fire or my skin was turning green or something. My friends I dont want to burdon. Really its only mental health professionals that could potentially notice anything. Occasionally a professor will call me to stay after class to see if Im ok (though this has happened less as Ive been older and been more able to... compensate for any external oddity)- but this has only happened a few times and for the most part... it tends to be more work level deterioration rather than anything that demands a personal explanation (though I have had THAT too- which I tend to just give evasive answers to).

But for the most part- I am my own judge jury and executioner. And I tend to put off... well. I tend to try to minimize when it comes to judging. If I can still function- I try to- until I break down completely.

So yeah. Might be a good idea to have someone in my life who would... be that control which I can... well. Its hard for a sick mind to accurately judge itself.

But I DO think- that if you can find someone in your life to do that- thats really ideal. And I hope that YOU can find that person
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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 06:23 PM
  #3
My husband and family know. My parents forget. I don't ask them to look out for my symptoms from anyone but my husband. My husband's best friend knows. It's known but I haven't actually sat down and gone I have X this is what it means for me. Just more

"What are you taking medication for?"
"Bipolar" and we move on.

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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 07:41 PM
  #4
My therapist, my mom, and my husband (although he can be over dramatic sometimes...chalking too much up to my illness).

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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 08:17 PM
  #5
What symptoms do you ask your loved one to look out for? And what type of support do they give you depending on the mood your in?
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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 08:51 PM
  #6
Have you tried mood charting? There are apps and you can also download paper versions free online. It's good to do especially early on to help you see patterns and if you use one that lets you make notes what is going on when things change. If you do a post on mood tracker apps you'll get several names. I can't remember any now.

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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 09:06 PM
  #7
Quote:
Originally Posted by cashart10 View Post
My therapist, my mom, and my husband (although he can be over dramatic sometimes...chalking too much up to my illness).

Sounds like my wife.

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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 09:08 PM
  #8
My husband is pretty good at noticing and my GP too but by the time it is obvious I am not gonna listen to anyone. I am happy and they all just dont like me when im happy is how I see it at that point. Then things just get worse and still I cant listen it just goes on until it ends, safely or not.

I liked using daylio for a mood tracker for general ideas of how long and often my episodes were. Unfortunately I was never honest with myself when I was getting hypo or worse, only depressed so it didnt help me catch it really. I could go back after and update it and be like, ya when I was only sleeping 3hrs a night and going for a 10k run and not eating and yelling at my family but I was happy, that probably wasnt "good" or "great"

Now my pdoc has given me instructions and medication I can use before I lose touch with reality but Im still afraid because Im not sleeping as much as she said I need to and I am starting to crave alcohol again(this is very likely a manic based issue) and I havent even filled the prescription never mind used it.

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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 09:10 PM
  #9
They all notice different things. My t notices my sped up speech and thought patterns when I am becoming manic and that is the same for my mom. My mom notices my speech right away. As soon as she notices any changes in my speech or ideas she starts asking me how much I am sleeping. My husband can spot hypomania and mania right away. It’s really not hard to notice if you are actually in my presence. I am almost constantly dancing/singing, talking/pacing. I even pace when I brush my teeth and eat. I have been known to pace all the way through t and pdoc appointments. I want to take loooooong drives and I drive very, very fast and I make no secret about it. Sometimes I will say I cannot even control it. My husband swears he can see mania in my pupils. Says he knows every. Single. Time. Just from that. I drop money on everything like it’s nothing. I listen to music I wouldn’t normally listen to and become obsessed with music, often only one song. I take many, many showers and the tend to be loooong. So much so that my husband puts limits on them. He will come in the bathroom and turn the water off. I once took a six hour shower. I believed the Holy Spirit kept the water warm. That will never happen again regardless of what I believe because he is all the wiser. Nonetheless, I almost always have delusions about water and music.

Depression is pretty easy too. I am hyper focused on myself and I start to loathe myself. Like I do right now. If it’s an anxious depression, like now, I cry. I am not a crier. It is scary for my children and usually warrants a phone call from either my mom or husband to my pdoc.

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Every finger in the room is pointing at me
I want to spit in their faces then I get afraid of what that could bring
I got a bowling ball in my stomach I got a desert in my mouth
Figures that my courage would choose to sell out now

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Dx: Schizoaffective Disorder
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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 09:55 PM
  #10
My leg starts shaking, pressured speech, and going from awesomely happy to raging mad in 2 sec flat. My husband notices because of how I'm happy but in a way that a little kids trying to get in trouble. I'm extremely quiet but write a lot. I'm so quiet because I don't want to be caught. My family only knows when things are really bad.

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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 10:12 PM
  #11
Outside the professionals I see my parents and my x-husband are the best to notice - especially my x as he has seen it all and we are still close friends. I tend to hide symptoms form my parents as long as I can as I don't want to worry them.

Anyway, the obvious 'up' symptoms are rapid speech, drinking alcohol, having a careless, reckless attitude to life, lots of ideas and major hypo sexuality. I rarely get pure depression.

Instead mixed. Signs for that are severe agitation, snapping at people for no reason, incredible inpatience, self-destructive behaviour to the extreme, rapid speech even though my mood is low, and rarely psychosis. My parents even notice this and try to make me stay at their place, usually until I see my T (who I see weekly) who usually strongly suggests to my pdoc to hospitalise me. This can happen very fast. Its terrifying.

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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 11:39 PM
  #12
When I was well I organised a ‘village’ to support me. Everyone knows I am mentally ill and everyone can tell when my mood is elevated and mixed. And by everyone I mean the homeless guy who knows I don’t carry any cash, my hairdresser who refuses to colour my hair blue, the little boutique that knows better than to let me buy a $AUD500 shirt, the coffee shop on the corner where the barista is a high functioning person with bipolar who sits me down with a cuppa.
I’m prone to being suicidal even when elevated so I’m a big believer in having as many people in your corner as you can.
Currently: mood elevated. If I don’t take a PRN’s soon I may attempt to fly

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Default Feb 08, 2019 at 11:59 PM
  #13
Yeah...there’s that crazy temper thing for me when manic too I forgot to mention. I am generally agitated and can go from elated to stark raving mad over the most insignificant thing. I have once even banged my head against a wall I was so angry with my kids. Not smart.

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Every finger in the room is pointing at me
I want to spit in their faces then I get afraid of what that could bring
I got a bowling ball in my stomach I got a desert in my mouth
Figures that my courage would choose to sell out now

Tori Amos ~ Crucify

Dx: Schizoaffective Disorder
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Default Feb 09, 2019 at 01:12 AM
  #14
My husband and family and close friends know. Its annoying because my husband is often the one who spots the mania before it hits. He will ask me if I am ok when I start to get super 'up' and I will always say :" Why cant I be happy why does it always have to be bipolar?" and then I get slammed.

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Default Feb 09, 2019 at 01:57 PM
  #15
I lean heavily on my wife to tell me if something seems different (wrong )...

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Default Feb 09, 2019 at 07:54 PM
  #16
My family knows, but usually it goes something like me talking fast or being really aggressive and them telling me to start taking my meds again regardless if I stopped or not making me more aggressive and agitated.
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